Envelop-machine.



W. D. SLATER. 31mm MACHINE. I APPLIOATION FILED JULY 31, 1906. 923,720. Patented June 1, 1909.

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4 923,720. Patented Jun 1, 1909.

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' applying a transparent patch to cover an UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. SLATER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES ENVELOPE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ENvE or-MAoHmE.

, ommonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Im rovement in En- 'velop-Machines, of which t e following is a specification, accompanied by drawings,

forming -a part of the same, in which- Figure 1 represents a plan view of so much of an envelop machine as is necessary to illustrate the nature and operation of my present invention. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail views ona larger scale of portions of the mechanism for openin in the envelo blank.

Simi ar reference gures refer to similar parts in the different views.

: My present invention relates to-th'at ortion of the mechanism of an envelop mac ine which is directly concerned in applying a transparent patch to an opening in the body portion of an envelop blank by which an address printed upon an inclosure in the en velop may be read from the outside.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown only such portions of an envelop machine as are necessary to illustrate my present invention. r

The mechanism embodying my present invention is designed to be operated in connection with the gumming and folding mechanisms of anenvelop machine in which guinis applied to the uppermost blank in a pile for stack of blanks 1, su ort'ed upon a feed table 2 and the gumme lank istransferred by a reciprocating carriage ,3 over the rectangular opening 4 of a fo ding or creasing box, through which opening the blank is pushed by av reciprocating plunger as is common in envelo machines now in use. Mounted upon t e table 5 and between the feed table 2 andthe folding box 4 1 mount the mechanism embodying my resent invention for applying to the enve op blank a transparent atch to cover an opening '6 formed in the Body portion of the envelop, and in the positionusually occupied by t e address. The envelop blank when presented to the mechanism for applying a patch'to cover the opening 6 has been supplied with a narrow margin of adhesive material around the opening 6, and in its passage-from the table 2 to the folding box 4 by means of a recipro- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed Jul 31, 1906. Serial no. 328,633.

gripping Patented June 1, 1909.

eating carriage 3 is given a period of dwell above a pressing bed 7 mounted upon the table 5. Mounted upon the table 5 are curved brackets 8, 8, provided with ways 9 for a reciprocating frame 10, provided on its under side with a yielding presser plate 11, said presser plate being given a reciprocating -motion by means of a rocking lever 12, link 13, and cam 14 on the driving shaft 15, by which the presserplate is carried down to cooperate with the bed 7 to ress a patch u on the gummed surface 0 the envelop b ank and over the opening 6. Mounted in arms 16 depending from one of the brackets 8 is areel 1.7 containing a'continuo'us strip 18 of trans arent paper which passes between feed rol s 19 and 20. An intermittent motion is given to the feed rolls 19 and 20 by means of a awl 21, carried upon a rocking lever 22, which is connectedby a link 23 with a swinging lever 24 actuated by a cam 25 upon a vertical shaft 26 connected by gears 2'4, with the driving'shaft 15. B the intermittent movement of the feed rol s 19 and 20 the'continuous transparent strip 18 is rojected forward over a stationary shear p ate 28 which acts in conjunction with the .end of the yielding presser plate 11 to sever the trans arent strip.

Sliding upon ways 29 is a carriage30 connected by a link 31 to a lever 32 which is actuated by a link 33. and carnt34 on the vertical shaft'26.. The carriage 30 carries a gripping mechanism comprising a jaw 35 attached to the carriage; and a jaw '36 attached to a, rocking shaft'37ijournaled'in the carriage 30. The jaw 36 is normally held in contact .with the jaw 35 by means of a blade spring 38. Attached to one; end ofthe rocking shaft 37 is an arm 39 carrying in its free end a stud 40 which assest beneath an im clined cam plate 41 a tached to the framework of the machine, causing the arm 39 to be depressed and the shaft "32 to be rocked againsflthe tension of the blade spring 38 in order to open the jaws 36 and 35 to release the aper strip. l vl lien the arm 39 is depressed to open the jaws a pawl 42 is carried into engagement with a shoulder 43 on the arm 39 by'means of a blade spring 44. The pawl 42 serves to maintain the arm 39 in its depressed position and hold the gripping laws open during the reverse movement of the carpage 30 along the ways 29. As the carnage 30 approaches the opposite end of its travel I an arm attached to the pawl 42 is carried beneath an'inclined cam plate 46 causing the arm 45 to be depressed and the pawl 42 to be raised out of engagement with theshoulder 43, thereby allowing the blade spring 38 to close the gripping jaws and seize the end of the continuous paper strip 18 which has been fed slightly beyond the edge of the shear plate 28 by the action of the feed rolls 19 and 20. hen the end of the continuous strip 18 has been seized by the gripping jaws the carriage 30 is moved forward drawing after it the strip of transparent paper over the gummed envelop blank resting upon the pressing bed 7. The movement of the carriage beneath the inclined cam plate 41 opens the grippin jaws and releases the paper strip which is then severed by the downward movement of'the pressing plate 11 as it passes the shear plate 28, the continued downward movement of the pressing plate causing the severed strip to be ressed upon the gummed surface of t 1e enve op blank and over the opening 6 The pressing plate 11 then rises/and the continuous strip 18 is projected forward by the feed rolls 19 and 20, actuated by the cam 25, .to move the end of the strip 18 sufliciently beyond the cuttingedge of the shear plate 28 to-enable it to be seized by the gripping jaws 36 and 35. The envelop blank with a patch ap lied thereto is then in condition to be move forward by the reciprocating carriage 3 over the folding box 4.

The mechanism by which the operation of gunnning the blanks upon'the'feed table 2; folding the blanks at the folding box 4, and transferring the gummed blanks to the fold- 'ing box and over the pressing bed 7, forms no part of my present invention, and. these portions of the operating mechanism of an envelop machine are not shown, as they are well known and familiar to those conversant with. this class of machines. Mechanisms by which all of these usual operations can be performed arefully shown and described in the United States Patent No. 401,462, issued to A. A. Rheutan, April 16, 1889. j

I claim, I

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a feed table for the blanks, a folding box and a reciprocating carriage for transferring the blanks from the feed table to the folding box, of a blank supporting table and a reciprocating presser plate cooperating with said table, a cutting mechanism for: severing a patch from an endless strip, rolls for feeding the endless strip beyond the cutting mechanism in position to be seized by gripping jaws, a

second reciprocating carriage, means for moving sa d secondcarriage transversely to said first carriage gripping jaws held box and carriage for transferring the envelop blanks from said feed table to said foldingbox, of a pressing mechanism between the feed table and folding box, means for supporting a continuous strip of paper at one side of said pressing mechanism, a cutting mechanism for severing the continuous strip, feed rolls for projecting the end of the continuous strip beyond said -cutting mechanism, a gripping mechanism for seizing the end of the continuous strip, means for moving said gripping mechanism past said pressing mechanism and transversely to said carriage.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination with the feed table, folding box and carriage of an envelop machine, of a roll .for supporting a continuous strip of paper, feed rolls for feeding said strip, means for imparting an intermittent motion to saidrolls, a cutting mechanism for severing said continuous strip, a pair of gripping jaws, means for imparting a reci rocating movement to said jaws transverse y to the movement of said carriage and in alinement with saidfeed ro'lls, means for opening and closing said jaws at opposite ends of their reciprocating movement, and a pressing mechanism located between the feed table and folding box.

4. In a machine of the character described, incombination with the feed table, a folding box, a reciprocating carriage for feeding, transferring and folding envelop blanks, of a pair of feed rolls having an intermittent motion for feeding a continuous strip transversely to the line of movement of said reciprocating carriage, a pair of reciprocating jaws moving in alinement with said feed rolls, means for opening said jaws at one end of their travel, means for holding said jaws open during their return movement, means for closing said jaws at the opposite end of their travel, a, cutting mechanism between said, feed rolls and said reciprocating jaws forseveringsaid continuous strip, and a pressing mechanism for applying the severed pieces to the envelop blank.

5. Ina machine of the character described, the combination with a sup ort for a pile of envelop blanks, means for fo ding an envelop blank and means for transfer-mg an envelop blank from said support to" said folding means, of a pair of feed rolls having an intermittent motion for feeding a continuous strip transversely to the line of movement of me envelop blank from saidsupport to said I applying said severed piece to the-envelop folding means, a pair of gripping jaws aran 1 ranged'to reciprocate in a'linement with said 1 Dated this eleventh day of July 1906. feed rolls, means for imparting a reciprocat- WILLIAM D. SLATER.

5 ing movement to said jaws, means for sever- Witnesses:

ing said continuous strip between said feed ALBERT R. GREENE, rolls and said gripping paws, and means for F. C. BRIGHAM. 

